The Jungle
by JPsmiles
Summary: After a mission the real trouble begins for the team and, even if they manage to survive, threatens to tear them apart.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Jungle

Summary: After a mission the real trouble begins for the team and, even if they manage to survive, threatens to tear them apart.

Note: Liauno sent me the story idea (thanks Lia!) with the basic guidelines and I took it from there. :)

Face lay on the cot pondering the cruel irony of how a tiny little pill that was supposed to stop him from getting sick, could still manage to have the same undesirable effect.

Maggie called them Anti-Malaria tablets and cautioned that if they didn't take them they would be susceptible to contracting the dangerous disease while on their latest mission. She had warned them that they may experience mild side effects such as nausea, stomach cramps, headaches and dizziness. Face currently had all of the above and they felt anything but mild.

Still, he knew Malaria was much worse and potentially fatal. And if he had to feel lousy to avoid being dead, he figured it was a fair tradeoff. Besides there were only a couple of rounds left. And by the time he took the next one tomorrow, they would be home.

"Up and at 'em, Lieutenant," Hannibal ordered from the door of Face's hotel room.

"Why? Didn't we already go after 'em and win?" Face groaned. "We're all packed and the plane…"

"Change of plans," Hannibal said, cutting him off mid-sentence. "I'm thinking boat."

"And I'm thinking you lost your mind. Hannibal, I spent all that time getting us a plane, and now you want a boat?"

"Uh-huh," Hannibal nodded, smiling widely.

Face knew that smile; it was his 'on the jazz' smile. That smile also meant that the Colonel had already made up his mind. "These meds are already giving me the spins, and now you want to add the motion of the ocean?"

"It'll be great!" Hannibal beamed while pulling a cigar out of his jacket pocket. "I figured we could use the time to relax and unwind."

The truth was, Hannibal was exhausted and he knew the rest of the team was as well. It had been a particularly difficult case that was twice as long and twice as hard as they had expected. Their task was to free a small town on the coast from a local drug dealer by the name of Juarez who was using their ports to smuggle in drugs while forcing the locals to work for him.

They hadn't anticipated their opponent being as crafty and cunning as he proved to be. It had taken them the better part of a week just to track Juarez and his posse down. From that point on, it was a wicked game of cat and mouse. But once the trap was sent, the rodents took the cheese and were caught.

"Where's your sense of adventure, kid?"

"Where's my sense of adventure?" Face asked incredulously. "Hmmm, let me think." He stood and scratched his head as if he were deep in thought. "Oh yeah, I just spent three weeks running all over South America chasing after Juarez and his slime ball associates. And before that, there hasn't been a week in the last decade in which I have not been either beaten up, shot at, or a combination of both." Face shook his head. "And you ask me where my sense of adventure is! I think I've had my fill, thank you very much!"

Hannibal slapped him on the back happily. "Great, then we're agreed."

"We go by," they both said, but Face's statement ended with "plane" and Hannibal's with "boat".

"Even if I agreed with you…which I don't…where am I going to get us a boat on such short notice?"

"The same way you got us a plane." Hannibal put his hands on his hips in a challenging stance. "I always thought you could get anything, anywhere. Snow in the middle of summer. Water in the middle of the desert." He raised his eyebrows. "A Cadillac in the middle of the jungles of Nam."

Face held his hands up in the air in defeat at the memory. "Damn…why do I have to be so good at what I do? You win…boat it is."

"I love it when a plan comes together."

Face flopped back down onto the bed. "You ever notice that when you say that too early, your plan falls apart before it comes together."

"Have a little faith, Face!"

"Oh I have plenty of faith," he said and then muttered under his breath, "faith that I'm going to live to regret this!"

They left the hotel they were currently staying at bright and early the next morning and started walking toward the shipping agency just outside of town. The town was a little bigger than the one they had just freed from Juarez, but only 15 minutes away, and had served as a good hide out and operation base. Face took the opportunity to fill the others in on the scam he had worked the afternoon before.

"We are business men here for a local conference. Our luggage, which included our plane tickets, was stolen and we are desperate to get back to the states to meet a deadline."

"We got it, Faceman," B.A. smiled happily…too happily for Face's liking.

"Look, I know you're glad we aren't flying, B.A., but would you mind cheering down a little bit. We're supposed to be panicked tourists."

"Relax, Facey," Murdock said. "You're so uptight."

"You would be too if you had to wear this," he whined pulling at his tie. "It must be 200 degrees out here, and I'm in an Armani suit."

"Don't be so dramatic, Face," Hannibal teased. "I bet it hasn't even reached 110 yet."

"Very funny," Face said dryly and they continued walking on in silence. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back. He was sick and tired…literally…of this entire venture. His head ached and his stomach churned; he couldn't remember the last time he felt so drained. If they had only flown back home, he could have been home in bed instead of sweating buckets inside this monkey suit.

Face could see the ship in the distance and he felt queasy just looking at it. He stopped walking and decided to give his plea one last shot. "Look, it's not too late to fly back on that plane I got us. It will get us home ten times faster. I feel lousy as it is, and once we take those pills later I'm really going to be feeling bad."

B.A. snorted. "Hey man. All them times you hit me with a two-by-four didn't exactly feel good. Consider this payback…we ain't flying."

"Sorry, Face," Hannibal said. "You're outnumbered on this one."

"What about Murdock's vote?" Face asked, looking over at the pilot hopefully.

B.A. cleared his throat loudly and took a step toward Murdock who got the hint. Shrugging his shoulders, he said apologetically, "Sorry Facey, but call me Switzerland."

"Switzerland?"

"Yup…Switzerland, 'cause I'm staying neutral on this one."

"Fine," Face sighed. "I'll go talk to my contact and make sure everything is set."

Hannibal gave Face a curious look. "You never did tell us…how'd you manage to get us aboard on such short notice?"

"I simply explained our situation and used my powers of persuasion to convince the agent."

"And this agent," Hannibal grinned knowingly, "what was _her_ name?"

"Maria," Face answered dreamily. "And speak of the devil…or in this case, angel." He straightened his tie as he spotted the beautiful brunette through the window of the agency's main office. Awful as he felt, flirting with Maria had done wonders to ease his pain and he was hoping for some more of that relief right now. "Wait here for my signal."

Face opened the door and took a step inside to see a terrified Maria mouth to him "I'm sorry". Before he had a chance to react, he felt a gun press into his back.

The door was still open; the team only feet away. He had to try and warn them. "It's a trap," he yelled. The butt of the gun slammed into the side of his head and everything went black.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. heard Face shout and immediately went running toward the side of the building for cover and to get closer to Face. Weapons drawn, they inched closer to the door, but stopped dead in their tracks as a limp Face was dragged outside by a man they recognized as Juarez's second in command, Cortez. Four other thugs followed behind toting machine guns that were pointed in their direction. They must have known that Face had arranged a date to pick up their boarding passes at the agency this morning, either that or they simply had been lucky.

"Drop your guns and put your hands on your heads or pretty boy here eats it!" Cortez threatened, the barrel of his gun pressed against Face's temple.

"Gee, it was awfully nice of Juarez to send some men to see us off, don't you think?" Hannibal quipped to Murdock and B.A. before doing as instructed. Under normal circumstances they could have taken them, but with Face under the gun, it wasn't worth the risk.

"We've got you now," Cortez sneered as they were led to a waiting armor plated van and forced into the back. Face was roughly shoved onto the floor behind them. "Enjoy this ride, for it will be your last."

"Now that's original," Hannibal mocked.

"Yeah, I bet if we had a penny for every time we heard that, B.A. here could afford to get the rest of his head shaved."

"Shut-up, fool, before I take them pennies and shove 'em up your…"

The van door slammed shut leaving Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. snickering. There was nothing better than getting a rise out of a baddie to improve morale.

But the mood quickly dampened as they turned their attention to Face who had yet to stir.

Murdock crouched down and held two fingers to Face's neck. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the strong pulse at his fingertips. As he leaned over to get a closer look at the head wound, he heard a low moan. "I think he's coming around."

Face opened his eyes slowly and he started blinking them trying to get them to focus.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Hannibal asked leaning forward in his seat and raising two fingers in front of his face.

"On which hand?" he slurred. He looked over at B.A….all three of them… and said, "I think I know what you mean about being hit by a two-by-four." B.A. nodded his head sympathetically. He tried to sit up, but fell back as the dizziness overpowered him.

Hannibal put his hand on Face's shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. For the first time he noticed just how bad his Lieutenant looked and realized that it probably wasn't all a result of the hit he took. "How're you feeling, kid?"

"I'm okay."

"Truth," Hannibal demanded.

"A bit woozy," he said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Just lay still for a little bit."

Face nodded slightly, wincing at the pain in his head, and then shut his eyes. Seconds later they popped open and he exclaimed, "Maria!"

"She okay, man," B.A. said. "They let her go."

"Yeah, but not before threatening to kill her entire family if she told anybody about what happened," Murdock added.

Relieved that Maria was safe, Face let his eyes close again. He never wanted any innocent person to get hurt as the result of one of his scams.

They drove on for what seemed like an eternity. It was probably only an hour or so, but with no windows to look out of and the scalding temperature inside the van, time stood still. Face came to midway through the ride feeling a bit better…or at least he had stopped seeing in triplicate. Murdock helped him off the floor and onto a seat.

"I hope you got a plan, Hannibal," B.A. said.

"Yeah, we take down Juarez and his men," Hannibal replied.

Murdock cocked his head and asked, "Um, Colonel, didn't we just get through with that plan?"

"Uh-huh," Hannibal smiled. "Worked like a charm."

"A charm?" B.A. exclaimed. "Then why we here, man?"

"Was that part of your plan, too?" Face quipped sarcastically.

"Just a little setback. Consider everything up to now as dress rehearsal. This time around it'll be..."

"Don't say it," Face pleaded.

"A piece of cake!" Hannibal grinned.

The collective groans from the rest of the team were interrupted as the van came to a screeching halt, sending them crashing onto the floor.

"Get off me, fools," B.A. yelled from the bottom of the heap.

"B.A., your gold is digging into my back," Murdock whined.

"Good, because your knee is digging into mine," Hannibal groaned. "Wanna move, Face?"

Face rolled off the top of the pile clutching his stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick," he moaned.

"Not on us you ain't," B.A. groused.

The door slid open. "Well, if it isn't Cortez and his merry gang of gun-slinging criminals," Hannibal joked.

"Welcome to the jungle," Cortez said motioning with his machine gun for them to exit the vehicle. Face sank to his knees but was immediately yanked up by one of the guards.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Hannibal warned.

"Oh yeah...and why not?"

Face lurched forward and emptied the contents of his stomach onto the ground just in front of Cortez's boots.

Hannibal smiled smugly. "That's why."

Cortez looked at Face in disgust, before throwing some rope at the guard. "Tie pretty boy up and then do the same with the others. Unfortunately, I have some business to attend to and will not be able to accompany you on this journey."

"Running back to tell your boss the good news?" Hannibal smirked, then winced as he felt the rope dig into his wrists.

"Juarez?" Cortez laughed. "I really had you believing that I was an innocent townsman forced to work for that clown, didn't I? Imagine my delight when you American idiots did me a favor by taking care of him…saved me the trouble of having to eliminate him myself."

"Didn't see that one comin', did ya Colonel?" B.A. asked with raised eyebrows.

"Nope." Hannibal glared in Cortez's direction, "but we will see this one going."

"You talk real big for a man in your precarious situation."

"My daddy always did say, 'go big, or go home'," Hannibal smirked.

"Then by all means, Smith, go big…for you and your friends will not be going home." He turned to his cronies and ordered, "take them away and await further instruction. Oh, and one more thing Smith. You're probably wondering how I knew where to get you. You should stop believing in the good of people. You never saw the town's people to be a threat. You even told us where to find you. I bought the owner of your hotel and had him tell me all the numbers you called from your rooms. It was so easy to put one and one together. And after seeing how you took down Juarez, you will understand that I really can't let such a threat to my business run around freely." Cortez turned and headed back toward the van. He stopped abruptly and looked over his shoulder. "And if any one of them starts acting crazy…kill him."

"You been actin' crazy for years now, "B.A. jabbed at Murdock. "Look like you in trouble, fool."

They were all in trouble as they stumbled through the jungle at an arduous pace. They kept their eyes focused on the ground beneath to avoid falling, but with their hands bound behind their backs, it was difficult to maintain balance and nearly impossible to escape the branches. Still not completely lucid, Face was having an especially rough go of things and found himself slipping and sliding in the mud.

"Stop," the guard following Face ordered after watching him pick himself up for the umpteenth time. "You and me…we look about the same size, no?" Face shrugged his shoulders, but said nothing. "Take it off. It would be a shame for such a beautiful suit to get all torn up."

"Oh, but it will be so much better for my skin to get ripped to pieces instead," Face countered, as his bonds were being untied.

"Strip."

"Sorry, but you're not my type." Face was rewarded for his comment with a sharp jab of the gun to his ribs. He doubled over and stayed there a few moments trying to catch his breath.

Once he righted himself, he began to undress once again pondering the irony. Just a few hours earlier he had complained about wearing the suit and now he was bemoaning having to take it off. He wasn't as upset about losing the pricey garment, as he was about losing what was sewn inside the lining...his lock picks. He handed over his jacket and tie and watched as the guard admired them. 'He should,' Face thought. 'They cost me a fortune.'

"Shirt too." Face opened up his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it as his captor jabbed the gun in his direction.

Unbuttoning his white dress shirt, he watched as the others continued walking. He handed the shirt over and wished he had dressed more like his friends that day. With the exception, perhaps, of B.A. who had ripped the sleeves off of his shirt to allow room for his bulging biceps. Under most normal circumstances he wouldn't be caught dead in anything one of his teammates had on. But these were not normal circumstances and at least they were dressed appropriately in long, yet light weight garments that would protect them from the climate. Not to mention that they still had clothes on, while he stood there half-naked, clad only in a pair of pants and uncomfortable loafers.

They walked on as dusk gave way to darkness, continuing by the glow of the moon and the torches carried by the guards. Finally, at dawn's first light, they came to a large clearing lined by bamboo cages, three to a side. Hannibal, Murdock and B.A. were untied and each placed in consecutive cages on one side. Face, who was bringing up the rear, was led past the others and locked up across the clearing.

"Damn!" Hannibal cursed under his breath as he watched his Lieutenant stumble by. They were all scratched and bruised to some extent, but Face's entire torso was cut up and littered with insect bites. He was shoved inside his cage where he fell to the ground in a heap. Hannibal's blood ran cold when Face lay there, breathing hard, but barely moving.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Hannibal took a deep breath to steady himself before turning to Murdock and B.A. and commanding, "Murdock, report."

"I counted four men at the north end and four at the south. There are also two look-outs in the trees at the east and west. That brings our grand total of scum to fourteen. Each armed with semi-automatics and what looks to be 22's in their waistbands."

B.A. continued where Murdock left off. "I don't see no source of power...there ain't no electrical lines anywhere. That hut over there looks to be their headquarters; I saw some guns and ammo through the window when we passed by. The only ride they got is one jeep over toward the northern corner."

"There aren't any traps that I noticed, but that doesn't mean they haven't planted landmines or well hid trip wires," Hannibal added. "My gut tells me that they are relaying on the strength of their numbers rather than their military prowess to keep us here."

B.A. reached out and grabbed onto the bamboo bars. Pulling with all his might, the veins started to pop out on his head and he gnarled his teeth. "They ain't gonna budge, man. They as solid as if they was steel."

Murdock leaned heavily against the bars and looked over at Face. "And it doesn't look like Face is exactly up to picking any locks at the moment."

"What we gonna do, man?"

"First we need to find out what they have planned for us," Hannibal answered. "Hey, slime ball," he yelled at a passing guard who abruptly stopped and turned around. "Yeah, I'm talking to you."

"If I were you, señor, I'd keep my mouth shut before we have to shut it for you…permanently."

"What do you guys do, sit around and practice bad guy clichés? Okay, I have one for you…'go ahead, make my day'!"

"I prefer, 'what we have here is a failure to communicate'," Murdock said in his best Strother Martin impersonation.

"Shut up, fool!" B.A. said.

"See B.A., that's exactly what I'm talking about...lack of communication."

"My fist is gonna start communicatin' with your face," B.A. growled.

Hannibal held a silencing hand up in their direction, then asked, "So what's the deal? What happens next?"

"I know not, señor…nor do I much care. We are being paid to hold you here until Cortez returns. The longer that is, the more we get paid."

Face could hear voices in the distance, but could not make out what was being said. But from the tone of Hannibal's voice, he could tell that the colonel was being a smart aleck. The voices stopped and Face opened his eyes and watched as the guard walked away. Mustering up his strength, he pushed himself up to a sitting position and scooted his body back so he was resting against the bamboo bars. He looked down at his bare chest and grimaced; he was hoping it didn't look as bad as it felt. But if anything, it looked worse.

Face could handle being sick or hurt, but he hated being alone. Even though he would deny or downplay serious injuries, he drew comfort from having his friends by his side. A lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard; he felt completely isolated. Just when he thought he was about to lose his cool, he heard Hannibal yelling his name.

"Face! Face! Can you hear me?"

Wanting to appear strong for the others, Face yelled back, "Hannibal, you owe me a new suit," with as much sarcasm as he could manage.

Hannibal chuckled and thought, 'we get out of this, and I'll buy you a whole new wardrobe', but instead said, "Hang tough, kid."

Face smiled weakly and gave a thumbs-up sign; he was too tired to do much else. That would be his last communication with the team for days.

The sun had risen and set three times since they set foot in the jungle, yet little had changed. Hannibal felt helpless as he watched Face thrash around in his fevered sleep and heard the tortured screams resulting from his nightmares. Face was always prone to nightmares, but usually the team was there to bring him out of it. Now, however, all they could do was listen as he relived his childhood and the horrors of Vietnam and pray that he would wake up.

Making matters worse, B.A. had also developed a slight fever. None of them had been able to finish their malaria prevention tablets, and B.A.'s exposed arms and Face's bare torso made them the most susceptible to insect bites. The days were hot and humid, and the nights were damp and cold. If they didn't get out of there soon, it wouldn't be long until they were all too sick to even try.

But, so far no chance for a break out had presented itself. The cages hadn't been opened once since the team took up residence inside; any food and water they were given was simply pushed through the bars.

"Come on, big guy, you need to eat more than that," Murdock encouraged after noticing B.A. only ate a few bites of their latest feast.

"I ain't hungry, fool."

"You need to keep your strength up," Murdock said offering him another piece of stale bread through the bars of their adjoining cells. B.A. swatted his hand away and shot him a nasty look. "You're so cute when you're sick and grumpy."

"I ain't sick," B.A. refuted, to which Murdock rolled his eyes. "And even if I am, I still got enough strength left to pound your skinny butt into the ground."

They sat quietly until B.A. noticed Murdock starring across the clearing at Face who hadn't touched any of his food and had barely moved all day. "You worried about the Faceman?"

Murdock nodded, then kept his gaze directed at the ground.

"Me too," B.A. admitted, to which Murdock looked up in surprise. It was rare for him to admit such things. "But Face is tough. 'Sides, Hannibal's got a plan to get us out of here. Dont'cha, Hannibal?"

Hannibal looked up and tried to look confident. "Sure do.," he said with a smile. There was no real plan; they all knew it. But the colonel's words always seemed to bring them comfort in times like these. He was their leader and if he appeared calm and controlled they would follow suit. "I'm just waiting for the right moment to execute it."

Trouble was, until Cortez returned, he doubted that moment to execute anything would come. He needed to use the head honcho as a distraction. The guards were bound to focus more on the man paying their bills than on their prisoners and they would have to take advantage of that temporary lapse of focus. But, as the days passed by, he was doubtful if Cortez would return at all...or in enough time. But he didn't want to let his mind go there.

The sound of a rifle backfiring woke Face up with a start. He bolted upright and instinctively reached for the spot where his gun would be. It was pitch black except for the spots dancing in front of his eyes. The remnants of his clothes were soaked through with sweat; he felt hot yet shivered as a chill ran through his body.

Once Face realized that he wasn't under attack, he slowly lowered himself back onto the ground. He tried to remember where he was but he had a kicking headache that was beating up on his brain at the moment...and winning the battle.

He struggled to clear his head, but he was too tired. 'Hannibal could help me…wonder why he isn't here?' Face thought, disoriented. 'And where exactly is here?'

'Cortez,' he suddenly remembered in the midst of his delirium and flung himself up again. This time, however, the quick movement proved too much and he collapsed into oblivion.

The next time Face woke up it was the streaming sunlight that brought him around. "Ugh," he grunted. He squinted his bleary eyes to see the same guard that took his jacket looming over him.

"So you are still alive, señor!"

Face just moaned and shut his eyes; he needed to make it look like he was worse off than he really was so they would no longer see him as a risk.

"Ah...still alive, but for how much longer we not know."

Face was rewarded by the guard not even bothering to lock the cage as he left. He heard him yell out to one of the others, "Solo es cuestión de tiempo," and with his limited Spanish recognized it as "it's only a matter of time."

'It's only a matter of time until I make my move,' Face thought. 'That is if I can move at all.'

Face's opportunity came later that day. As night approached the increasingly restless guards decided to throw themselves a party outside the hut. After a few hours of nonstop drinking they were all intoxicated enough not to notice him push open the still unlocked cage and crawl out on his hands and knees. He stayed low until he was out of their eyesight and them mustering all of his strength he got on his feet and took off running into the jungle.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

There was still a little light left and Face did his best to lay a false trail while he could still see in front of him. He dragged his feet into the earth and pulled branches down until he was satisfied that it would lead his captors astray even if only long enough to free the rest of the team. He circled back to the clearing and hid behind some dense bushes off to the side of where Hannibal, Murdock and B.A.'s cages were. Devoid of energy or any tools there was no way he could take on the small army of men.

Face wanted nothing more than to give into the exhaustion and to close his eyes, but he had to be ready to move. He looked at his captive friends and said softly, "hang on, guys, I'm coming."

Hannibal was about to drift off when he heard a commotion coming from the other side of the clearing. Murdock and B.A. noticed too as they sat up and struggled to hear what was going on. Hannibal's heart skipped a beat as all the guards gathered around Face's cage. "Dear God...no."

"Colonel, you don't think..." Murdock's voice trailed off.

B.A. coughed and wiped some sweat off of his brow. "Don't say it, man...don't even think it."

But they had to think it as they were unable to see through the barrier of men. It seemed like an eternity before the men took off running into the jungle leaving behind one armed guard to watch over the site.

"I don't believe it," Hannibal grinned. "He got away."

"Atta boy, Facey." Murdock cheered.

Even B.A. in his weakened condition felt a rush of adrenaline and sat up straighter.

The relief they felt soon gave way to worry; the fact remained that Face was out there alone in the jungle being hunted down by an armed posse. Where was Face now? Was he strong enough to make it? How would he get help? So many thoughts went swirling around in their minds that none of them would rest easy that night.

Similarly Face was having a rough go of things. He was so close to the team, but felt so helpless. He debated trying to take out the remaining guard, but he was having enough trouble staying conscious. His muscles ached and the dropping temperatures combined with a light rain left him shivering in the night air. He was soaking wet but ironically his throat was so dry. At least in the cage he had a roof over his head and water. Once again all he could do was sit and wait and hope that he could evade the search party long enough to figure out how he was going to get his friends free.

The camp was eerily quiet without the constant chatter or the guards. Now the only noise Face heard was the rattling sound of his breathing in his chest. He kept his eyes trained on the sole guard who sat outside the hut doing crossword puzzles. 'C'mon, God...please help me,' Face prayed.

Seconds later the guard stood and began to shake the pen shortly before standing and tossing it blindly in Face's direction. 'Ask and thy shall receive.' Face looked toward the sky and whispered, "Thank You."

Face waited for the man to retreat into the hut most likely in search for a new pen before inching his way out. He had seen the silver pen glisten in the air and knew the general vicinity in which it landed. He felt along the moist ground until his hand made contact with the small, hard object. He crawled back to his hiding spot and eagerly got to work.

It took Face the rest of the night and into the mid-morning to achieve what he thought might work as a lock pick. It was slow going and he had to take many breaks as the intense concentration made is head pound and his empty stomach churn. Try as he might to stay awake so as not to miss an opportunity, and to avoid nightmares that would attract attention, the fatigue grabbed a hold of him and pulled him under.

A storm appeared to be rolling in and the search party returned back to camp later in the afternoon. They heard them before they saw them and waited anxiously to see if Face had been recaptured. The guard by the hut heard them as well and shouted out to the men as they came into view.

"Es probablemente muerto ahora," yelled one of the returning men.

Hannibal couldn't understand much of what was being said but he did pick up on one word: "muerto"...meaning dead.

Fear gripped his heart. "No...kid...no."

Murdock and B.A. had heard it too and hung their heads.

Face, however, was still alive and hoping to keep it that way.

A heavy pelting rain had started and the guards took refuge inside the hut figuring there was no longer any reason to be so vigilant. One man was dead and the other three were locked up tight and weren't going anywhere.

On hands and knees Face dragged his limbs toward Hannibal's cage. He held the pen in his mouth and kept moving despite his limbs feeling as if they were made of led. 'Almost there…gotta keep going.'

Hannibal sat with his back resting against the bars. He kept watch over Murdock and B.A. who were similarly positioned. It broke his heart to think that a piece of his team was gone…forever. He closed his eyes and said, "Oh, kid, if I could only here your voice just one more time."

"Han…bal."

The soft voice came from behind him and he was sure it was his mind playing a cruel trick on him so he chose to ignore it. But then it came again a bit louder.

"Han…Han…bal."

The colonel turned around slowly and blinked his eyes a few times to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Face?" he asked in disbelief.

Face held out the pen too tired to do or say anything else. Hannibal reached for it but grabbed Face's entire hand and held on tight. They locked eyes for a brief moment before Murdock's yelp of joy at seeing his friend alive set Hannibal into action.

Face lay his head down on the muddy ground and waited for Hannibal to let himself out. But even for an amateur like Hannibal it seemed to be taking too long.

"Face...I can't reach the lock from this angle," Hannibal finally admitted. "You're going to have to try it from your end."

Face pushed himself up onto his forearms and then struggled onto his knees. That alone made his world spin and he put his head down and tried to quell the nausea.

"C'mon, kid...you can do this," Hannibal encouraged. When Face remained down he knew he had no other choice but to order the ailing man. "Lieutenant Peck, look at me."

Face raised his head slowly and forced down the bile that rose to his throat.

"We need you to open this lock, lieutenant."

The problem was that in order to do so Face had to stand up and he barely had the strength to hold his head up.

"Move it, Lieutenant!" Hannibal hated himself for treating his man so harshly when he was so obviously barely holding on, but their survival depended on getting their cages unlocked.

But Face remained frozen in place on his knees. The rain pelted his naked torso and ran into his eyes clouding his already compromised vision. His mind was screaming at him to move, but his body just wouldn't cooperate.

"That's an order!"

Those were the magic words that sent Face into soldier mode. He once more locked eyes with Hannibal, took hold of the bars and pulled himself up to standing.

Hannibal inched up with him every step of the way never breaking his eye hold. "Atta boy!" He handed Face the pen and looked on in amazement as his second in command tried over and over again to make his tool work, never giving up despite his obvious pain.

Face was so focused on the task at hand that he felt nothing as he fiddled with the lock. As soon as he heard the 'click' of the steel releasing, however, everything hit him at once and he fell to the ground hard.

Hannibal was out of his cage and had unlocked Murdock within seconds. Passing the tool off he said, "Let B.A. out while I get Face."

Hannibal lifted Face into his arms and frowned at the heat radiating off of his body. They had to get him medical attention immediately, but first they had to get out of the jungle.

"What's the plan, colonel?" Murdock asked as he walked over holding onto an unsteady B.A.

"Our best chance is too take the jeep in the north corner, but we have to move fast before the rain stops and they bother to check on us."

"I'll drive," B.A. said.

"You can barely stand up straight, big guy."

"Don't need to stand to drive, fool!"

"You sure you are up to it, Sergeant?"

"I'm fine, colonel"

Murdock rolled his eyes. "You're starting to sound more and more like Face."

Hannibal didn't want to waste time arguing so he nodded his approval at B.A. and they made their way along the outskirts of the camp and toward the jeep. By the time they reached their destination and piled inside the vehicle Face was coming around and had started to mumble.

"No…stop…please."

"Shh," Murdock soothed, stroking Face's head that rested on his lap.

"Fools," B.A. muttered as he noticed the key was carelessly left in the ignition.

Hannibal cast one last look back at the campsite and the hut. "Let's just get out of here, Sergeant, before those fools wise up."

B.A. complied and the jeep jolted forward into the jungle. It was difficult terrain to navigate in the best of conditions, but the rain made it nearly impossible. Once they were a safe distance away from the now stranded guards, the rain seemed to let up and B.A. was able to avoid some of the potholes and roadblocks making for a smoother ride.

"Han…bal," Face moaned.

"Hannibal is sitting right up front with B.A."

Face opened his eyes briefly and looked up at Murdock. "Gotta…unlock…cage…Han'bal said so."

"You did that already, muchacho. Saved our hides. Now just close your eyes and rest."

Face was about to protest when the sound of gunfire erupted around them. The jeep began to shake and shimmy from side to side uncontrollably until one final shot rang out that sent the vehicle into a tailspin.

"Brace yo'selfs," B.A. yelled. "We gonna crash!"

"That's my line!" Murdock yelled back.

"Shut up, fool...hang on!"

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

The impact sent the passengers careening forward out of their seats. Before they had a chance to right themselves and assess the damage, they could hear the cocking of rifles. Hannibal looked up and sure enough they were surrounded by half a dozen gun wielding men. Putting his hands in the air he straightened up slowly. B.A. followed suit while Murdock put one hand up and held onto Face with the other.

"Señor Smith! We did not know it was you!" one of the men said immediately dropping his gun and motioning for the others to do the same. "We assumed you were Juarez's men."

"And you're not?" Hannibal asked in confusion.

"No, señor. My name is Ricardo Montoya...my daughter Maria told us of what happened to you."

"Maria?" Face moaned as Murdock helped him to a sitting position. "She...okay?"

"Yes, fine...from the looks of it much better than you." He turned back to Hannibal. "How bad are your men hurt?"

"My lieutenant and sergeant are in need of medical attention. I'd like to get them back to the States as soon as possible."

"Of course. We are not far...but we will have to go on foot seeing as..."

"Seein' as you shot up our ride, " B.A. concluded.

"Again our apologies. But we can get you to the airstrip and to a plane in a few hours...it's the least we can do for all that you have done for us and for what you have suffered."

"Plane! I ain't gonna..."

B.A. was cut off as Face groaned and slumped against Murdock as an intense cramp wracked his midsection.

"Face, what's wrong, buddy?"

"Don't...don't feel...so good."

B.A. eyed his friend with concern; for him to complain it had to be bad. "As I was about to say, I ain't gonna object to flyin' this time...let's just get Face some help."

Hannibal nodded and smiled his appreciation. That would be the last smile on any of their faces for quite some time.

A semi-conscious Face was half-dragged between Hannibal and Murdock. It would have been easier for some of the other men to help, but Hannibal didn't want Face, who had been through enough, to be in some stranger's arms. And while B.A. was holding his own, but was in no condition to help carry Face. As they walked Eduardo explained how after Maria came running back to the house in hysterics it had been the last straw and he gathered a posse and they waited for the return of Juarez. Once they had captured and locked him away with Cortez, however, he refused to tell them where he had taken the team. They had been looking for days to no avail and were about to give up hope until they saw the jeep coming toward them.

"Had not your man been able to break free, Senor Smith, I do not know what would have happened to you."

Hannibal glanced at the trembling man under his arm and said softly, "Neither do I."

"He is very, brave, no?"

"Yes...very brave." Hannibal felt his guilt rising with each step. 'Very brave...and very ill. And all because of me,' he thought.

After walking a couple of miles Face began to moan softly and doubled over. Hannibal and Murdock lowered him to the ground and he curled himself into a ball.

"Face?" Murdock asked.

"Gonna...be...sick," Face breathed and then made good on his words.

Murdock held his friend as he retched continuously, talking to him soothingly and rubbing his back. Hannibal, on the other hand, turned his back and strode away. He longed to be there for Face, but he was in full command mode and his focus had to be getting his men to safety. He felt responsible for the entire situation , but he knew he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by his feelings.

Murdock cradled Face in his arms after the attack subsided. He followed Face's glassy eyes and realized that he was watching Hannibal. Murdock knew exactly what Face was thinking in his fevered mind. Hannibal would hold Face in the camps when he was beaten or sick and wouldn't leave the younger man's side unless dragged away. But in the camps he wasn't in control. Once they escaped, he acted much like he was now until they reached the base safely. But Face was too out of it by that point to remember much of their escape. Trying to ease his friend's mind, he said softly, "The colonel is just trying to get us out of here is all. Just rest, okay?"

Face nodded weakly and allowed his eyes to slide shut. He remembered the times when he had been badly beaten and Hannibal would care for him and call him son. Though he was so scared, it made him feel safe at the same time. He couldn't understand why Hannibal was being so cold and distant to him now. He wondered what he did to make Hannibal so angry, but he didn't have the energy to ask. Maybe it was because it took him so long to come to their aid? Or that his illness was slowing them down?

His last thought before falling unconscious was that he had messed up and let the entire team down.

* * *

><p>It was a woman's voice that first started to pull Face back from the depths of darkness almost a full day later.<p>

"He's in a bad way. He's severely dehydrated so I started an IV to replace some fluids. My main concern, however, is how high his temperature is. I'm going to start him on antibiotics to try and fight the infection. Hopefully, once the meds kick in and I clean and treat his wounds his fever will break."

Face fought to open his eyes wondering who the lady was talking about. His immediate thought was that one of the guys had been hurt.

Maggie saw Face's eyelids begin to twitch. "I think he's coming around. Face...can you hear me?"

"Hmmm," Face moaned.

"C'mon, buddy...open those blue eyes for your old pal Murdock."

"M...mur...dock," Face slurred, blinking his eyes to try to clear the fog that seemed to cover them.

"Welcome back." Seeing the confusion in his friend's eyes he added, "We're at Maggie's house."

"Some...somebody...hurt?" Face's eyes were darting around the room looking for Hannibal and B.A.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant, you're the casualty of the hour," Maggie said lightly while attaching a bag of antibiotics to the IV pole. "B.A. is a bit under the weather, but he should be fine in a couple of days."

"And Hannibal is probably sitting on top of the big guy trying to keep him in bed," Murdock quickly interjected to explain away why the colonel was absent. The truth was that he hadn't seen the colonel all morning. The hurt expression looking back at him made his stomach churn. "I'm sure he'll be in to see you real soon." But Murdock was anything but sure.

* * *

><p>Hannibal sat out on the back porch staring blankly ahead. He knew he should be inside with his men, especially Face, but he just couldn't move. His guilt was acting like an invisible barrier keeping him away from the others just as effectively as the bars of the cage in the jungle had.<p>

The plane ride back to the States had been a nightmare. B.A. had willingly taken his knock-out juice feeling too miserable to make much of a protest. And with Murdock in the cockpit, Hannibal was left to watch over a delirious Face. His eyes never opened as his body tossed and turned while his mind spiraled through events of his troubled childhood in the orphanage and the horrors of Nam. Hannibal tried to talk to Face; tried to calm him down but it only seemed to agitate him more. It was like listening to Face's worst memories and there was nothing he could do to stop them. In all of his years, he had never felt so helpless.

Once they arrived at Maggie's, she ordered himself and Murdock out of the room to get cleaned up while she tended to her patients. Hannibal used that as an excuse to check out both physically and mentally. He wasn't sure how he was going to check back in or if he even had the right to. After all, it was his insistence on taking a boat that started the whole chain of events that led them to this point.

Hannibal could hear muffled voices coming from inside the house through the open window. His breath caught in his throat as Face began to moan in pain. He tried to block it out, but after a few minutes his stomach was churning and he found himself heading inside and toward the examination room.


	6. Chapter 6

Face was gritting his teeth and trying not to cry out as Maggie began to probe and clean the myriad of insect bites and scratches that marred his arms and torso. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the bursts of fire as antiseptic met broken flesh.

"Face, some of these wounds need to be opened and drained. I'll be as gentle as possible, but I don't want to introduce anything more into your system so I can't give you anything for the pain."

"'S'okay, Maggie," Face mumbled. But as Maggie began to cut into his flesh he found himself reaching out for something to hold onto. He felt a warm hand engulf his own and for a moment he was filled with hope. 'Hannibal,' he thought and opened his eyes.

Murdock smiled and soothed, "You're doing great, pal. Just take some deep breaths."

But breathing was easier said than done when, in addition to Maggie's ministrations, it felt as if his heart was breaking.

"We need to roll him onto his side so I can treat his back," Maggie said.

Murdock kept a firm grip on Face's shoulders and kept a gentle patter of comforting words near Face's ear as the painful treatment continued. His body tensed as there was a searing pain across the middle of his back and he let out a loud groan before the lights went out and his body went limp.

Hannibal got to the door in time to see Face's eye's roll back in his head.

"A little late," Murdock quipped as the colonel entered the room. Realizing that his tone had come off a bit harsh he smiled and added, "But, better late than never."

Hannibal approached the table and asked, "How's he doing?"

Maggie kept her vision trained on her work as she spoke. "About the same. But he's young and strong. I'm just grateful that you took those anti-malaria tablets or it could be a lot worse for all of you."

Hannibal frowned. "But we didn't finish them all."

"But it was enough to spare you from that dreadful disease. Face, and to a lesser extent B.A., are suffering from exposure. I'm just about done here. Help me get him upstairs to the bedroom next to B.A.'s."

Once Face's bandage-ridden body was settled, Hannibal pulled a chair up next to the bed. "I'll stay with him."

Maggie and Murdock shared a relieved glance and quietly slipped out of the room.

"Oh, kid, I am so sorry," Hannibal said putting his head into his hands and finally allowed the tears to fall that he would never show in front of the others. After he had let it all out, he watched as Face slept peacefully for a couple of hours before drifting off himself into a fitful sleep.

Hannibal woke up the next morning as the sunlight came streaming through the window. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before realizing that Maggie was leaning over Face's still form.

"Hey," he said in a rough voice.

"Hey, yourself. I hope I didn't wake you."

Hannibal waved the attractive brunette off. "How is he?"

"Soaked through...his fever broke," she announced with a bright smile. "He's still running a slight temperature, but he's on his way."

Hannibal took a deep breath and released it slowly. "Thank God. But why isn't he waking up?"

Maggie laughed. "You men drive me crazy! John, after all that poor boy has been through he's exhausted. It wouldn't surprise me if he's out for the whole day. B.A. on the other hand…"

There was a crash from the room next door followed by yelling. "I done told you, fool, you ain't no nurse!"

"Cranky, cranky…someone needs a spanky! Maggie told me to make sure you stay in that bed!"

"Shut-up, crazy man!"

Hannibal shook his head as Maggie continued. "As I was saying, B.A. is already threatening Murdock with bodily harm if he doesn't let him out of his bed."

"Are you sure it's wise to assign Murdock as B.A. caregiver?"

"No, but you were otherwise occupied," Maggie replied pointing to Face. Seeing Hannibal's expression harden as he looked at his second in command she asked, "You okay?"

"Hmm? Oh…yeah…just thinking."

"About what?"

Hannibal ran a hand through his silver hair and sighed. "About how I failed Face."

It was Maggie's turn to shake her head. "What in heaven's name are you talking about?"

"It's my fault. If I had only listened to him, we would have gotten home safely."

"John…he's going to be okay." Maggie walked over and put her hands on Hannibal's shoulders.

"I know," Hannibal nodded. "But there was no need for him to suffer so much."

"You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

"No, but I did know he wasn't feeling well…those pills were making him sick…and I just ignored it." Hannibal's voice caught for a moment, wrought with emotion. "And…and when he needed me, I was too wrapped up in my own guilt to be there for him."

"Maybe you could have made some better choices, but hindsight is 20/20. Take this and learn from it, but stop beating yourself up and blaming yourself."

Hannibal pulled Maggie into a hug and whispered, "thanks, I needed that."

Maggie felt herself blush. 'And I needed this,' she thought.

After the embrace, Hannibal cleared his throat and asked, "how can we ever repay you for all you have done for us?"

"Funny you should ask," Maggie smiled mischievously and started leading Hannibal toward the door. "I need to run out for some supplies and my neighbor is dropping off her ten year old son for a couple of hours. Can you keep an eye on him for me?"

"You mean…babysit?"

"Well he's hardly a baby…but yes."

"But, what about Face?"

"He'll probably still be asleep, and if he wakes up Murdock is right next door." Seeing the anxious look in Hannibal's blue eyes she chuckled. "Don't tell me that a tough colonel of the U.S. army is frightened by a little boy?"

Without hesitation, Hannibal nodded. "Yes…terrified."

Maggie patted Hannibal on the back. "You'll be fine…and I'll be back as soon as I can."

But, it wasn't soon enough for Hannibal, who after ten minutes with the youngster was ready to pull his hair out. He was a disrespectful child who ran around the house and spoke back. Hannibal had led many men through battle yet controlling this child proved to be near impossible. He wasted no time in venting to Maggie upon her return as they walked up the stairs to check on Face.

"I told him not to jump on your couch and he yelled back at me 'you can't tell me what to do...you're not my father'. Do you believe that?"

Maggie smiled. "Well, he's right...you're not his father."

"And I'm certainly glad that I'm not!"

They were just outside of Face's door when Maggie stopped and slapped Hannibal playfully on the arm. "John! Aren't you being a little bit harsh?"

"Not harsh enough. He's a spoiled brat and nothing but trouble."

Face had woken up to the sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs and their accompanying voices. As they grew louder he could make out some of the words. 'You're not his father'; 'I'm glad I'm not'; 'spoiled brat'; 'nothing but trouble'. Face's blood ran cold. 'Hannibal's talking about me,' he thought swallowing hard. Any hope he held that things would be okay again between him and the colonel were destroyed.

Over the years Face had secretly dreamed of how it would have been if Hannibal had come to the orphanage and taken him home. But now hearing the truth about what Hannibal thought of him, he felt like a complete fool. Face shut his eyes and feigned sleep rather than have to look the man he had grown to consider a father in the eye. As Maggie took his vitals he made a decision. 'The first chance I get, I'll do them all a favor and leave.'

That chance came after dark when the others had all gone to sleep. The lingering fever combined with the constricting bandages that covered most of his body made getting out of bed slow going. His head swam and his limbs were weak and felt heavy. He stood leaning heavily against the wall for a moment before ripping the IV out of his arm. Blood began to flow at a steady rate from the hole in his arm, but Face was too focused on staying upright to notice.

He padded out into the hallway and toward the stairs keeping constant contact with the wall. His legs shook so badly that he was sure Hannibal would hear his knees knocking as he passed by his door. He reached out for the railing but between the dark and his blurred vision missed. His heart leapt into his throat as he plummeted downward painfully rolling down the steps with his battered body.

Face hit the floor with a thud and then rolled onto his side and curled into himself. His eyes were clenched shut tightly as he gasped for the air that had been knocked out of his lungs. It felt like an eternity before his chest wasn't heaving and his heartbeat stopped pulsating in his ears enough for him to realize what happened.

'At least this solved my problem of how I was going to walk down the stairs,' he thought. Face was relieved that his tumble hadn't been heard by the others and knew he had to take advantage of the situation and move fast. But moving fast wasn't an option…in fact, moving at all was agonizing.

Face slid his body across the floor leaving a trail of blood from his still seeping arm wound. By the time he made it the short distance to the front door he was seeing double and covered in sweat. He reached a trembling hand up toward the doorknob only to have it slip right off from the slick red substance. He made one more attempt at getting up before collapsing back to the ground in exhaustion. His vision was fading from color to grey and slowly it all went black.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Murdock was the first one out of his room in the morning. As he stepped into the hall he immediately went next door to check on Face. The first thing he noticed was the empty bed, followed by the dried blood that stood out in stark comparison to the white carpeting. Fear gripped the pilot as he followed the trail back out into the hallway and down the long corridor that led to the staircase.

"Face!" he cried as he saw the body down below. The shock kept him frozen in place for a few seconds, afraid of what condition he would find Face in. Taking a deep breath he hurried down the stairs and knelt next to his fallen friend.

Hannibal, Maggie and B.A. had heard Murdock call out for Face from their respective rooms and each rush to find out what the commotion was about. But nothing could prepare them for the sight of Murdock leaning over a bloody Face and frantically feeling for a pulse. Maggie ran back to get her medical kit while Hannibal and B.A. proceeded down the steps.

"Murdock?" Hannibal questioned.

"It's weak, but it's there," Murdock answered, making room for Maggie.

The three standing members of the A-team watched as the doctor wordlessly examined their teammate. He was pale and unnaturally still as she bandaged his arm and proceeded to run her hands up and down his body checking for abnormalities.

"Nothing appears broken, but I don't want to move him until he regains consciousness and I can perform some tests. He tore quite a hole in his arm and lost a lot of blood, but luckily it started clotting on its own."

"What can we do to help, lil' mama," B.A. asked in a small voice that contradicted his massive brawn.

"Let's get some blankets and make him as comfortable as possible." Maggie sighed. "And then we wait."

It felt like an eternity as the group sat vigil by Face's side. Nobody spoke. The only words they wanted to hear were ones that would come from Face's mouth anyway. Hannibal kept constant contact with Face either by holding his hand or placing cold compresses against his forehead. "I'm not going to make the same mistake again," he explained and they all understood to what he was referring.

Face felt something wet and cool against his hot skin. He moaned at the heavenly sensation and tried to open his eyes but the lids felt so very heavy. There were muffled voices, but it was too hard to understand what they were saying to him through the fog that clouded his mind.

They heard Face moan and saw his head starting to move ever so slightly.

"Face…time to wake up now, kid," Hannibal said gently. He placed a fresh cloth on his lieutenant's brow before grasping one of the limp hands between his own and stroking it softly.

Face moaned again, this time louder, but still his eyes remained shut.

"Come back to us…we're all very worried, son."

'Son'. Hannibal had called him son. That one word gave him the boost he needed to open his eyes. Opening his mouth to speak, however, proved even more troublesome as no words would come out past the dryness of his throat.

"Don't try to talk, son. Maggie wants to look you over and then we can get you to bed."

'Son'. There is was again. Tears filled his eyes and threatened to spill over.

Hannibal looked over at Maggie and nodded slightly. Taking the hint she moved over to Face's other side and said, "I want you to slowly move your legs for me. Stop and tell me if you feel any pain or numbness."

"That's my boy," Hannibal cheered when the task was complete.

'My boy'. That did it. The tears made their way down Face's cheeks.

"What's wrong, Faceman?" B.A. asked in concern. "You hurtin'?"

Face shook his head slightly and croaked, " no…m'kay."

Maggie recognized the signs of a man at the end of his emotional rope so she wasted no time in finishing her tests and ordering both Face and B.A. back to bed.

"But I feel fine," B.A. protested.

"Humor me. Lil' mama knows best," Maggie smiled with a wink and then tilted her head in the direction of Face who was being helped off the floor by Hannibal. "Murdock…you're in charge again."

B.A. groaned at Murdock's obvious delight. "Now I do feel sick." But both men took the hint and after seeing that Face was safely back in his bedroom they retreated to their own. Maggie followed suit after establishing a new IV line. She knew the best medicine for her patient was some time alone with his colonel.

Hannibal stood by the window and looked out while Face lie in bed awake with his eyes shut. An awkward tension filled the air as neither man knew what to say. Guilt still prevented Hannibal from speaking his heart when he knew Face was coherent enough to actually listen. And Face was sure he must have imagined what had taken place earlier with Hannibal.

An uncomfortable ten minutes later they chose to break their silence at the same time.

"I'm sorry," Hannibal and Face said simultaneously.

Hannibal's eyes grew wide. "Huh? What could you possibly have to be sorry about, kid?"

"I'm…I'm nothing but trouble…a spoiled brat." Face looked down at his hands and bit at his lower lip to stop it from trembling.

If possible, Hannibal's eyes grew even wider as he recognized the very words he had used earlier to describe Maggie's neighbor. "Kid…," he started, but Face's often guarded emotions came tumbling out before he could go on.

"I…I tried to go…get out of your hair. Dizzy…fell…caused more trouble. I…I know you don't want me around."

"Face…," Hannibal tried again with the same results.

"No…it's okay…I understand. Can't say I blame you…you're not the first." Face swallowed hard past the lump in his throat. "My own parents didn't want me around…why should you?"

"Face…son…"

"Stop…I'm not your son…and you're glad you're not my father."

Hannibal pulled a chair over to Face's side and sat down heavily. Leaning forward he let his head rest in his hands as Face's words hit him harder than any fist to the gut ever had. Ironically, now that he had an opportunity to speak, he couldn't seem to find the breath to do it with.

Face took this as a sign that he had been correct in his assertions and once again shut his eyes trying to block out the world. There was a reason Face had put up a wall around himself years ago in the orphanage. He learned at an early age that if he let somebody in they would wind up hurting him in the end. Sure it had taken longer with Hannibal, but that just made the hurt worse. He wouldn't make that mistake again.

The sound caught Face off guard and at first he thought it was his mind playing tricks with him once more. It was a sound he hadn't heard coming from the colonel in years…not since Nam…and even then it was only when he thought nobody was listening.

"Hannibal?" Face asked, the confusion clear in his tone.

"Oh, Face, you have it so wrong," Hannibal said while swiping at his eyes. "You overheard me talking about some bratty kid Maggie had me watch for a couple of hours. You don't possibly believe I feel that way about you…do you?" Face's noncommittal shrug was answer enough. Clearing his throat he took hold of Face's hand and looked into his eyes. "There are some things I should have had the courage to tell you a long time ago. But…um…well," Hannibal stuttered, "it so damn hard for me to do this."

Face wanted to tell him it was okay…to just let it out. But he could feel the little energy he had left waning and wasn't sure he could put together a complete sentence at this point. Besides, who was he to give any lectures on opening up and expressing his true feelings? So he settled for squeezing Hannibal's hand and throwing a reassuring grin his way.

"I guess I'm just afraid that you wouldn't feel the same way about me as I do about you." Hannibal took a deep shuttering breath. "Okay…here it goes. Face, every time I call you 'kid' or 'son' it's because that's how I think of you. Since Nam I felt a special bond with you; God you reminded me so much of myself in so many ways. But at the same time you were very different. You had a hard shell around you and I remember thinking that if I could only crack it there was something very special underneath. It took longer than I thought, but slowly you let me in and I was right."

Hannibal paused when he realized that Face's hand had started to shake. While his own tears had stopped, Face's had started once more. "You okay?"

Face nodded and once again squeezed Hannibal's hand.

"When I thought that you had died in the jungle, it felt like a piece of me had died as well. It scared me so bad and it was all my fault for insisting we take that damn boat. After that I just couldn't get close to you; couldn't risk hurting you anymore." Hannibal chuckled wistfully. "Well, we never did take that boat and I managed to hurt you more than I realized."

"Not…your…fault," Face managed to get out.

"Yes…yes it is," Hannibal nodded. "It's my fault because I didn't listen to you. And it's my fault for staying away when you needed me most. You, Murdock and B.A. mean the world to me; you three are my family. I've never said it before, but I love you very much." Hannibal paused before repeating, "I love you very much, son."

There was so much Face wanted to say, but exhaustion and emotion had taken their toll. He was close to passing out, but he had to let Hannibal know that he felt the same way. "Love…love you…too." With that his eyelids began to shut and he drifted off into the most peaceful sleep he had had in weeks.

Hannibal's heart swelled. "Sleep tight, son. I'll be here when you wake up."

There were muffled voices coming from the hallway.

"I just love a happy ending, don't you big guy?"

"Man, it's 'bout damn time them fools had that talk."

"I love you, man."

"Get off me, fool."

"Not until you admit that you love me."

"Okay…fine…I love you too, crazy man. But if you ever hug me again, my fist is gonna make love with your face."

Hannibal smiled and leaned back in his chair. "My boys…those are my boys."

Epilogue

Face slept the majority of the week away, making up for lost time and giving his body the much needed sleep it needed to heal. But when he did wake, one of the guys was always by his side. More often than not, that guy was Hannibal.

One morning when they were all gathered around Face's bed, Murdock said, "We had a meeting, Face, and decided that we owe you."

Face furrowed his brow. "Owe me for what?"

"For saving our lives in the jungle," Hannibal answered.

"Oh that…that was nothing," Face said casually.

B.A. rolled his eyes. "Yeah that, fool. And it wasn't nothin'."

"So what'll it be, kid. What do you want us to do for you?"

Face thought for a moment and then said stoically, "I just want to be left alone."

Hurt and confused by the answer, the trio remained silent.

Face broke out into a huge grin and continued, "I want to be left alone with a sexy nurse prepared to give me a sponge bath and," Face winked, "some other treatments."

Hannibal and B.A. chuckled while Murdock stood and started for the door. "Why didn't you say so, Facey? I'll be right back!"

"Uh-oh, Faceman. You in for it now man."

"Yeah, kid, I'm not sure I'd want Nurse Murdock giving me a bath."

"Nurse Murdock?" Face groaned. "Oh no…he's doesn't think..."

"It's Murdock, 'course he don't think," B.A. interrupted.

"Why me?" Face sulked, pulling the covers up over his head. "Why do these things always happen to me?"

"I don't know," Hannibal laughed while pulling a cigar out of his pocket. "But I do know that I love it when a plan comes together!"

The End


End file.
